Ahhh I know it has been a long time since my last blog post, but in my defense I have been spending my free time working on my graduate school essays and applications which are due in a few months. Anyway, I think it has been well over a week since my last blog post, so I will try to recap the past week quickly.
I received my timetable this week for my classes. As of now, I am only going to be working on Tuesdays and Thursdays (umm…HELLO traveling time on weekends!!), which makes me quite happy. Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, I am going to be rather busy with graduate school applications during November/early December, so it looks like most of my traveling is going to take place after the Christmas break (in which I will be traveling back to Iowa!).
Last weekend I went out for the first time in Lille with a bunch of other assistants. We went to a Latino Café for most of the night, and it was really fun! We went with a bunch of assistants from South America…and they put the rest of the bar to shame with their salsa dancing madness. I learned a bit of salsa dancing, although thinking about it now I am sure I looked rather ridiculous. Anyway, it was really fun. The only problem with going out in Lille is that I have to choose between the 9pm train or the 6:20am train to Douai. Those of you who know me well know that 9.99 times out of 10 I will choose the 6:20am train as I enjoy a healthy night of drinks and dancing every once in a while. Anyway, this made for a verrrrry late night, but was definitely worth it!
On Saturday (last Saturday) night, two of my roommates and I went to see a film at the cinema called “Elle s’appellait Sarah” (Her name was Sarah). This was based on a novel, which in English is called “Sarah’s Key,” which I read a few months ago. During World War II, the French government rounded up thousands of Jewish people and sent them off to concentration camps. The movie was about a little girl who escaped the concentration camp but who later committed suicide because although she physically escaped from the camp, emotionally she could not move on from the horror she lived through. It was a really touching movie, and I had read the book (and parts of the movie were in English!) I could follow along rather easily.
This week, my Italian roommate, Guendalina, took her turn cooking for all of us. She made a delicious pasta, a potato dish, and a wonderful tiramisu for dessert. We were very spoiled that night! Laura, Miriam and I went to a show at the Hippodrome in Douai on Thursday. It was a very strange…very very strange…show—especially since we were expecting a jazz concert. Instead, one man played piano while one man spoke a dialogue (I have NO idea what it was about, even my roommates couldn’t understand him). He sang a song in English, and some of the lyrics were “if I were a sheriff, I would lock you up under lock and key. If I were a volcano, you would be the lava (seriously).” Not the best show I have ever been to.
This past weekend my roommate Guendalina and I stayed at an apartment in Lille on Saturday and Sunday nights. One of the Italian profs is doing an exchange in Sicily for 10 days, and he told Guendalina that we could stay in his apartment while he was gone. It was so nice to have a place to stay in Lille! On Saturday night we went to a potluck at another assistant’s apartment, then we went out to some clubs afterward. We got into the “exclusive” Network Café, which was actually a lot of fun and had good music. We slept in pretty late on Sunday, then went to the big open-air market in Lille and walked around for awhile. I got a new red hat and a pretty scarf for 10 euros. On Sunday night we went to the new Wood Allen film “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.” I liked it, although I thought it ended rather abruptly. It was nice to see a film in English—it was very comforting in a way. Afterward, Guendalina and I found a sushi restaurant and had a late dinner there. Overall, it was a very fun weekend!
And…I am leaving for Stockholm on Wednesday! My friend Ashley and I bought some pretty fab Halloween costumes for Saturday/Sunday night. My costume includes gold hot pants, a sequin top, a magenta wig, and fake glittery eyelashes. I will post lots of pictures next weekend!
So happy Halloween everyone!! Behave yourselves, and don’t get arrested this weekend! ;)
Miss you and love you all!! J
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